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Sunday, August 13, 2017

Forgiveness Matters!

Devotional 9 focuses on forgiving one another. This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span. Parents your notes are in italics. Happy studying!

Forgiving one another

To Do: As this is the last week, it is a great time to celebrate all your hard work. You could take your recitation and Bible reading outdoors, to your favorite coffee shop or to the park.

Questions to Ask:

What does “forgive” mean? Is it the same as “bear with?” Simply we bear with people when they have not sinned against us and we forgive them when they have.

What is the difference between saying sorry and asking for forgiveness? Do they mean exactly the same thing? When we say we are sorry we are talking about ourselves-we feel regretful of our actions. When we ask for forgiveness, we are asking someone to change how they see us. We want them to let our bad behavior go, not letting it damage our relationship. However, in our ordinary lives we use the two statements interchangeably.

Why does Paul say we need to forgive? If the kids don’t immediately remember, you will need to reread Colossians 3:12-14.

What have you asked God to forgive you for? What has someone else asked you to forgive them for? What is the connection? Sensitive kids may struggle to talk about sins aloud. Be understanding. However be sure that each child understands that our sin against God is worse than any sin someone has committed against them.

Insights:

Can you imagine if as parents all the ethics and character we taught our children were rooted in punishment? "Johnny, you can’t tell lies. If you do, I’ll spank you.” “Susie, miss curfew and you are grounded.” While those punishments may not be inappropriate, we certainly want to teach our kids more. They need to value truth, trustworthiness and responsibility. And these are grounded in something more than fear.

In this section of Colossians Paul doesn’t just give some list of dos and don’ts and he doesn’t focus on the terribly punishments we’ll endure if we are disobedient. He grounds his ethic deeply.

We too need more than the fear of Hell to ground our ethic in. And Paul gives us the answers. Our thoughts are exalted because Christ is exalted. We live because Christ lives, so we can’t live like we used to. We are chosen, beloved, deeply loved, and so we should be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. We are forgiven by God and so we must be people who forgive.

As you have worked your way through these devotionals, I hope you and your kids have been able to set your mind on things above.